Sometimes
by Ryo Hoshi
Summary: Sometimes, it's possible for Nami to talk with Sanji as just good friends. A story about cooking and friendship, and no romance whatsoever. Oh, and Luffy being taught dog tricks.


**Notes:** The plot bunny came and sat down in front of me when I read the conditions for the FemGenFicathon and proceeded to prove that it had a canine for his mother; some sort of pit bull I think. This hopefully shall explain why something I'd intended to get written a month ago is only now postable... 

I rather suspect that a large part of the problem may have been Sanji not being particularly comfortable with somebody exploring his...less silly facets. It's _sort_ of endearing...

No, I've no idea how or why Luffy ended up with such a big role in this story. He may have been lured in by the scent of food.

Re one of the jokes: Icka, I blame you!

* * *

**_Sometimes_  
By Ryo Hoshi**

Sometimes, it's possible for Nami to talk with Sanji as just good friends. It's a side of the alleged Love Cook she suspects most of the crew has never noticed, perhaps never even seen. She'd discovered it quite by accident one night; it involved tea (his doing) and cookies (hers). That first time had been short, and they had talked nearly the entire time about what, exactly, she kept getting wrong.

Nami had honestly not expected it, either. Normally she could rely upon Sanji and Luffy to happily eat whatever she made the few times she wanted to cook. She had only learned a little, really, and didn't exactly _enjoy_ cooking: it was eminently clear that not even Luffy would be able to convince her to threaten to take over Sanji's job.

The cookies had the result of impulse, a memory of one of Bellmere's attempts to teach her cooking. The only thing Nami remembered clearly was the flavor, and how it'd felt to be working in the kitchen with her mother... And it was late at night, and she knew they could spare the vaugely-remembered ingredients.

Nami wasn't sure when Sanji had come in, which perhaps ought to have been the first sign that things were different. She only noticed his presence when he reached over her shoulder to help her with the cookie sheet. He acted almost normal as he made tea (something with a bit of tangerine peel, from its scent).

They sat together as they waited for the small batch of cookies to cool. This was about when Nami realized that something was different about the Love Cook, and thinking it might be what he caught her doing, she told him about the cookies...and he listened quietly as she spoke, only interrupting to ask a few questions, which the navigator found even stranger behavior.

When they were finally cool, he tasted one at the same time the navigator did, and...

Sanji was honest, brutally so.

Nami smiled happily at him. (Even _she_ had to admit it was the truth. Which, it ought to be noted, it turned out not to be: they were _not_ so bad that Luffy wouldn't eat them. However, Luffy did not steal them either.)

Then he offered to help her figure out the recipe, and Nami could tell that Sanji meant the offer honestly, without any ulterior motives. So she agreed.

The meetings -- half lessons, half experiments -- were always held at night, when most of the crew was asleep. Somewhere along the line, Luffy had started turning up to watch and beg for scraps.

That really was Nami's fault, though she'd caught Sanji trying to teach Luffy to balance one of the Luffy-snacks (the nickname they'd given to the reject cookies) on his nose before eating it. They chose to blame Luffy, who not only went along with it but _**laughed**_ about it. Their captain somehow understood that this was something that belonged to when the pair was working together in the kitchen, too; he didn't beg for scraps when it was just Sanji working.

Eventually, though, they'd perfected the recipe. Nami was pretty certain that they were not identical with her adoptive mother's verison, but they had the same delicious mikan-clove flavor (with just the right hint of spice) that she remembered. They even had the chewy texture she knew they ought to have, for which the effort to recreate had resulted in Luffy having an ample supply of Luffy-snacks. (Towards the end, they were used as bribes on other crewmates; none of them bothered mentioning the navigator's involvement in their creation. Mainly, this was due to Luffy wishing to share.)

The two of them stared at the cookies. Nami suspected that Sanji felt the same way about having finally gotten them right as she did -- that this meant the end of their having talks as just friends, without his lovesick behavior...

...and Nami was surprised to realize that she _would_ miss it. She liked this side of Sanji. Nami doubted she would ever see this side of him otherwise -- the one which didn't flirt (obnoxiously or otherwise) with her, which was content to not be anything to her but her nakama.

Luffy, in his usual way, came up with the solution: "Why don't you learn how to cook something else?"

Nami gave him a cookie in thanks. "Why not? I could take over for you next time Chopper says you're too sick to cook." She decided that Sanji must enjoy their working together in the kitchen with how eagerly he agreed, just leaving the question of what she ought to learn to cook next.

Their captain cheerfully suggested meat.

**Coda**

They ultimately took Luffy's suggestion, though it was slightly modified. Nami had found their captain's pleading cute (though she'd not quite put it that way to Sanji). Luffy hadn't joined them yet, so it was more peaceful than usual, lacking the background begging.

Nami watched it sizzle and decided it was time to finally ask Sanji something she'd been wondering since soon after the cooking lessons had started. "Sanji...why?"

"Huh?" He looked up with an amazing semblance of...surprise on his face. "You wanted me to, right, Nami-swan?"

The navigator just _looked_ at him for several long minutes before he admitted to himself that she'd not been fooled in the least.

"Because...I want to be your friend."

That was the last thing Nami had expected to hear. She had been _very_ sure that the love cook had wanted to be more than just her friend... "I thought you were in love with me, Sanji-kun..."

He smiled, a bit sadly. "I _am_, but..." Sanji sighed. "I know you're not interested in me like that."

She laughed, embarrassedly. She liked him, true -- but his normal antics were not what she wanted in a boyfriend or a lover. Which didn't mean she wouldn't take full advantage of him -- and did mean that she now felt it very awkward to discover that he _knew_ that she had been doing just that.

"But, if I can't be your lover..."

Nami nodded. "You'd rather be my friend than nothing at all?"

This time Sanji's smile lacked any strain or taint. "Yes."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

He blushed faintly. "...does that mean...?"

"That I want to be your friend, too? Yes."


End file.
